Vintage Space Age furniture captured post–World War II optimism with swooping shapes, bowed lines and experimentation with new materials including plastic and fiberglass.
From the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 to the landing of Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon in 1969, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States propelled advancements in technology that transformed culture. Space Age design encompassed fashion, architecture, cars, furniture and objects for the home, bringing wonder and hope for the future into everyday life.
Coinciding with Pop art, Space Age style featured bold colors and forms. Eero Aarnio’s Ball chair, which debuted in 1966, used molded fiberglass for a capsule-like space while Verner Panton’s 1959 Panton chair was a single piece of molded plastic for a gravity-defying S shape. Red versions of Olivier Mourgue’s 1964 Djinn chair were futuristic enough to appear on the space station in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Today, Joe Colombo is revered as a master of modern Italian design thanks to the provocative modular furniture pieces he created, such as the Tube chair and the Elda armchair, both of which embody the future-forward spirit of the Space Age.
The Space Age spirit extended to home building too. The futuristic Case Study Houses, which were designed by the likes of Pierre Koenig, Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra and Whitney R. Smith, are considered a high point of modernism and the Southern California lifestyle.
Sometimes the nods to space exploration were more literal, like moon and star motifs or the 1965 Eclisse lamp by Vico Magistretti that saw the mid-century Italian designer integrating a movable inner shade to “eclipse” the light source. Alongside the pioneering moon missions, JVC manufactured the Videosphere portable television reminiscent of the Apollo 11 space helmets.
Although the style faded in the 1970s — with the 1975 joining of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts signaling a new era of cooperation and the global oil crisis impacting the availability of plastics — the era’s innovations influenced designers into the 21st century such as Zaha Hadid and Djivan Schapira.
Find a collection of vintage Space Age seating, tables, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Space age hand knotted wall hanging, Germany 1970
By Desso
Located in ECHT, NL
Magnificent space age wall tapestry. Handcrafted in the 1970s. It has an abstract decor. The patterns have different heights. The tapestry is in very good condition. It looks almost...
Wool
Tapestry, Brazilian Artist, 1980 Sign Renot
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Tapestry Design Renot Brazilian artist 1980 The tapestry is restored. Sign: Renot 1980 Bahia Brazil original Atelier Studio Renot Salvador- ...
Tapestry
Space age handcrafted wall hanging, Netherlands 1970s
By Wassily Kandinsky, Verner Panton
Located in ECHT, NL
Handcrafted wall hanging. Geometrical patterns on an off-white background. Skillfully made mid century artwork. The top and bottom have loops for a rod. Considering the age, this pi...
Fabric, Thread
Wall Tapestry by Aimé Kakon, Space Age Design, Wool, France, 1976
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Exceptional tapestry designed by Aimé Kakon in 1976 Architect, sculptor, ceramicist, visual artist, Aimé Kakon is an artist in his own right. His work is timeless, his graphics as w...
Wool
Tapestry Genaro Antônio Dantas de Carvalho, Brazilian Artist, 1960
By Genaro de Carvalho
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Tapestry Genaro Antônio Dantas de Carvalho Brazilian artist 1960 Upholsterers, painter, designer. Genaro Antonio Dantas de Carvalho began his painting studies with his father. In 1944, he went to Rio de Janeiro and studied drawing with Henrique Cavalleiro at the Brazilian Society of Fine Arts. He is considered one of the main activists for the renewal of art in Bahia, along with Carlos Bastos, Caribé and Mario Cravo...
Tapestry
Space Age Wall Tapestry Italian Mid-Century Fabric Art 1970s
Located in Firenze, IT
Space age wall tapestry Italy 1970s wood, fabric H 120 cm - 55 × 2 cm Conditions: very good, consistent with age and use.
Fabric, Wood
Abstract Vibrant Wall Tapestry by Junghans, 1960's
Located in London, GB
Colorful hand knotted wool hanging is probably a translation of the work of an artist. This was a time when modern artists work began to work with weavers...
Wool
Margo Farrin O'Connor Fiber Art Wall Hanging CIrca 1970s
Located in Peabody, MA
Fiber art wall hanging by California textile artist Margo Farrin O'Connor, circa 1970s. Margo and her husband William founded their jewelry making, meta...
Textile
Textured macrame wall hanging, Spain, 1970s
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Superb macramé wall tapestry made in Spain in the 1970s. Large format. Handmade tapestry composed of different textures and materials creating unique patterns and reliefs. All the ro...
Wool, Cotton
Rare Midcentury Wall Tapestry, Ege Rya Style, Denmark, 1970s
By Ege Rya
Located in Praha, CZ
- rare type
Fabric, Wool
Textured macrame wall hanging, wool, Spain, Circa 1970s
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Exquisite macramé wall tapestry, handcrafted in Spain during the 1970s, featuring a large format. This unique piece combines diverse textures and materials, with each rope and thread...
Wool
$5,973
H 59.85 in W 99.22 in D 0.08 in
1993 Ettore Sottsass Interflex Italian Design Wall Hanging Fabric Tapestry
Located in Brescia, IT
"La Buona Stella" Tapestry designer Ettore Sottsass prod. Interflex 1993 Screen-printing on quilted Fabric Tapestry Label manufacture sewing on the back Perfect Condiction Limited ...
Fabric
Aubusson Style Jacquard Tapestry "Dance and Celebration"
Located in Miami, FL
A captivating Aubusson style jacquard tapestry depicting a scene of romantic revelry. This vibrant tapestry portrays a scene of couples in elegant attire engaged in a lively dance, a...
Wool, Cotton
Vintage Moroccan Boucherouite Area Rug, Mid-Century Tapestry Wall Art
Located in Barrington, IL
This captivating vintage Moroccan Boucherouite tapestry rug, dating to the mid-20th century, is a bold and expressive example of North African textile artistry. Hand-crafted using repurposed fibers, this one-of-a-kind piece showcases an ultra-modern abstract geometric design brought to life through a vivid palette of red, pink, blue, green, purple, brown, and yellow. Boucherouite rugs are celebrated for their spontaneity and creativity, and this example is no exception. The dynamic composition and striking use of color echo the visual language of modernist abstraction, reminiscent of the works of Josef Albers and Paul Klee, where color interaction and form create rhythm, balance, and movement. Both versatile and visually impactful, this Moroccan textile can be used as a tapestry wall hanging or as a decorative area rug, serving as a vibrant focal point in a wide range of interiors—from mid-century modern and contemporary to bohemian and eclectic spaces. Dimensions: 5’ 8” x 7’ 2” Date of Manufacture: 3rd Quarter 20th century Place of Origin: Morocco Material: Cotton, Wool Condition: Wear consistent with age and use The Persian Knot Gallery, SKU: 1487 Moroccan Boucherouite, Vintage Moroccan Rugs, Vintage Berber Rugs, Vintage North African Rugs, Mid Century Modern Rugs, Vintage Moroccan Kilim, Vintage Berber Kilim, Boucherouite Rag Rugs, Moroccan Rugs Boucherouite, Moroccan Tribal Rugs, Abstract Mid Century Rugs, Nomadic Rugs, Berber Tribal Rugs, Vintage Boucherouite Rugs, Vintage Rag Rugs, Moroccan Rugs, Moroccan Kilims, Josef Albers Rugs...
Wool, Cotton
Large Modern French Tapestry by J.L Viard
By J.L. Viard
Located in NYC, NY
A tapestry by French artist J.L Viard for Murmure des Sylves. Tightly woven wool and wool blends. Signed on the front and again the reverse tag with an edition 21 of 100.
Wool
$10,095
H 36.23 in W 39.38 in D 1.97 in
Macrame textured wall hanging, Catalan landscape, Spain, 1970s
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Superb macramé wall tapestry made in Spain in the 1970s. Large format. Handmade tapestry composed of different textures and materials creating unique patterns and reliefs. All the ro...
Wool, Cotton
Midcentury Hand made wool Wall Tapestry 1970s
By Ege Rya
Located in Praha, CZ
- perfect original condition - around 1970s jr
Fabric, Wool
Vintage French Tapestry by Georgette Owens. Size: 3 ft x 4 ft 10 in
By Georgette Owens
Located in New York, NY
Vintage French Tapestry by Georgette Owens, France, Mid-Twentieth Century. Size: 3 ft x 4 ft 10 in (0.91 m x 1.47 m)
Wool
Leather Tapestry Composition, 1970s
Located in Lisboa, PT
Leather mosaic tapestry wall hanging composition representing a landscape. Signed lower right, countersigned and titled on the back Fabrice. France, 1970s.
Leather
Sold
H 78.75 in W 43.31 in D 3.94 in
Artful Wall Rug/Tapestry by Ewald Kröner for Schloss Hackhausen, Germany - 1970s
By Ewald Kröner, Schloss Hackhausen
Located in Berlin, DE
Ewald Kröner designed woollen wall hanging. An example of the Pop art movement of the early 1970s. It features wool tassel hanging loosely with tied bands.
Wool
Pierre Cardin Eden Fabric Space Age
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Vintage Pierre Cardin curtain fabric. Excellent condition. Probably late 1960s-1970s designed and made. Wide is 2meter. Length is around seven meter which is two patterns are printe...
Cotton
Textile by Vernor Panton
By Mira-X, Verner Panton
Located in South Charleston, WV
Premises renovation sale on all stock. Ends 22 June 2018. A single wood framed textile of a design by Verner Panton for Mira-X of Denmark, circa 1970. Measures 30" x 23". In excel...
Textile Wall Hanging by Verner Panton
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Mira Spectrum kreis design textile wall hanging by Danish designer Verner Panton.
Cotton
Design Lips by Verner Panton
Located in Milan, IT
'Design Lips' is a fabric wall panel designed and produced in 1968 as part of Verner Panton's 'Anatomical Designs Collection', which were photoreali...
Cotton